Real Things
by Witch
Summary: Sequal to Inner Demons. Phoebe has adjusted to life without her sisters and is trying to pretend that she is over things. But everything taht she knows now is called into question when her elder sister turns up on her doorstep. Read Inner Demons First.
1. Three Years Later

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or any of the characters.

**Real Things**

** **

Summary – Sequel to Inner Demons, Phoebe is living in the manor. She is still working at the newspaper and her relationship with Jason has just finished. Based three years after Inner Demons, but how will her life is affected by the return of her estranged sister Piper? And what news does Piper have that will change Phoebe's world forever.

Real Things – Three Years Later

            Phoebe Halliwell, now 31 years old and still working at the newspaper and currently dating her boss Jason Dean. The relationship had been on and off for the past three years or so, he had been a great support to her when her sister Paige had died and when Piper left. But finally after a lot of therapy and counselling Phoebe was ready to begin and move on with her life.

            She awoke that morning getting a phone call from Jason, he was inviting her out to dinner that evening, Phoebe reluctantly agreed though she wasn't too sure why she was so hesitant. She loved Jason more than she had ever loved anyone, even Cole so why was she always unsure of his intentions. She was feeling especially bad recently, she wasn't sure why. Her powers were all over the place as well, she hardly ever got premonitions and when she did she had to ignore them because she couldn't stop the face of evil all by herself. She had also lost the ability to levitate, it seemed that the sister's powers really did come from their relationship as sisters and they certainly didn't have a relationship at all anymore. Paige was dead and Piper, well she didn't have a clue where Piper was, she felt so lost without her sisters. Which was the reason that she and Jason had had an on and off relationship because Phoebe was scared of committing to a full relationship without her sister's there for guidance. Jason obviously loved her though or else he wouldn't put up with her breaking up with him and then calling him a few days later every six months or so.

            After hanging up with Jason, Phoebe went for her morning shower. She let the warm water surround her and wash over her slightly tanned skinned. She lathered up her hair and then washed it clean. She reached out of the shower and reached for her house coat.

            "Here you are," said a familiar voice, Phoebe grabbed the dressing gown and stepped out of the shower, she saw her sister Piper standing front of her,

            "Piper… what are you doing her?" she asked, she blinked her eyes closed then when she opened Piper was gone,

            "I'm not," replied the voice, like a whistle on the wind. Phoebe looked around the bathroom, but thought nothing of it. This wasn't the first time when she had imagined her sister coming home. Phoebe shook the feeling that her sister would soon be returning to the manor from her memory a long time ago, in some ways Phoebe knew that as soon as Piper left she would never be returning to the manor and her sister. Phoebe had grown used to the fact of it; she knew that it was highly unlikely that she would ever see her sister again. She got dressed and wandered down into the manor's kitchen, it was the one place in the manor that she still sensed didn't belong to her, and the kitchen had always been Piper's place from the moment she had learnt how to cook right up until she had left. The kitchen had always been Piper's domain. She made herself a small bowl of cereal and sat down at the kitchen table, she lifted the paper which she had collected earlier and began to read. She turned onto the front page and was suddenly pulled into a premonition, _everything was dark, she could hear someone yelling her name in the distance but she couldn't make out who was calling her… but the voice was very familiar, but at the same time completely unrecognisable. "Phoebe!" it yelled, she could hear the terror in the voice and felt herself looking around. She turned and saw a dark haired girl sitting in the corner, her hair hanging limply by her face. Phoebe could hear foot steps running over to the person and assumed that it was her own, when she reached the girl she placed her hand on her shoulder, "Are you ok?" she heard herself asking. The face darted up right, it was Piper, but she wasn't herself her face was snow white and her eyes had not pupils or iris' they to were white. "Soon you will know," she said…_

Phoebe shook her head and let the paper fall back onto the table, _Piper? _She thought she sat at the table for a few seconds and remained completely silent. Then she was shocked to hear the telephone ringing, she jumped slightly and then walked over to answer the call.

            "Hey Phoebe, its Jason… listen I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to cancel our date for tonight. We just got some huge news story, I'm not all that sure what to make of it really but I know that I should take point on it. Is that ok?" said the voice on the other end of the story,

            "Yeah, sure that's fine." She said, the spoke for a brief moment then the hung up. Phoebe sat back down at the table her premonition still stuck in her, her premonitions had been pretty much subdued since Piper left, and they had not been as detailed as this last one. Also, they hadn't scared her…


	2. How Things Change

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Charmed Or Any Of The Characters In This Fic.

Real Things – How Things Change

            Brushing her long dark hair aside she looked in the manor windows, she watched as Phoebe sauntered mindlessly through the house. Breathing shallowly she started walking up the steps towards that front door of the house that she had left three years ago. When she arrived at the top of the steps she reached out for the doorknocker but stopped a few inches before it. Cautiously holding her hand away from it, she knew all she had to do was knock but it seemed like the hardest thing in the world to do. Slowly she pulled her hand away from the knocker and started to walk down the steps but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the front door pull open. She stopped and waited for a few seconds before turned round; hesitant about what her sister would say,

            "Piper?" asked Phoebe, looking surprised and frightened at the sight of her sister, "Is it really you?" Piper turned round, once again pushing her hair out of her face, she forced a smile at her younger sister,

"Yeah, I'm back…" she said quietly, nervously holding her arms across her chest.

"Piper?" said Phoebe once more still in disbelief at her sister; she had been waiting for this day ever since Piper had left. She never thought that it would come, and now it finally had.

"I'm here Phoebe, I'm home," replied Piper taking a few steps up and meeting her sister on the porch. A tear slowly dripped down Phoebe's cheek as she marvelled in the sight of her sister. She walked towards her sister and pulled her into an embrace, holding her tight as if she had never seen her before. Three years seemed like must longer than it actually was, but living without her sister had made her appreciate every moment. After the hug had ended, Phoebe and Piper stood staring at each other,

"Why have you come here?" asked Phoebe, she knew that it sounded cold asking her sister whom she had missed dearly why she had come home but she had to know,

"I found out… I… Something bad is coming Phoebe, I don't know what and I don't know where but I know I'll be stronger if I'm here," she replied harshly, Phoebe smirked and walked into the house. Piper followed her,

"So you're not here to see me. Its not like you've missed me or anything since you left," she said, walking towards the kitchen, leaving Piper standing at the doorway. Piper sighed and followed Phoebe into the kitchen,

"Of course I've missed you. But this is more important that than," replied Piper,

"Not to many years ago nothing was more important to you than family," replied Phoebe, sitting down at the kitchen table and crossing her arms defensively,

"I know, and I don't know what to say to you. I've changed." Said Piper with a cold tone of voice, "I've been through a lot since I left, and I'm not the same person I was before,"

"No kidding," said Phoebe,

"What do you mean by that?" snapped Piper, Phoebe was taken aback by Piper's snap but answered her as quickly and calmly as she could,

"I can see that you've changed, your voice, your attitude, you… its all different. Its not the sister I remember," replied Phoebe, uncrossing her arms as a welcoming attitude towards Piper,

"Phoebe, I've changed so much over the past two years, I know I have. And I've changed because I had to…" Piper started but stopped when she saw the look on Phoebe's face, a smile that was mischievous yet sad, "What?" she asked,

"Two years? You think you've been gone two years?" demanded Phoebe,

"To the day," replied Piper, confused as to where her sister was taking this,

"Three years Piper, it was three years ago today that you left, three not two," replied Phoebe, "You've changed more than I thought," she said as she got up off the stairs and stalked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs,

"Phoebe, wait, don't be mad at me," said Piper as she followed her sister,

"Just leave me," replied Phoebe as she slammed her bedroom door behind her as she entered it. Leaving the sister she had been so desperate to see again all alone.

Several hours later Phoebe emerged from her room, her head spinning, she had waited for this day for so long and still couldn't decide if it was real. She hoped that Piper would be back for good but in her head she seriously doubted it, suddenly her mind flashed back to the day Piper left,

"Where do you think you'll go?" asked Phoebe looking from the ground into her sisters stony eyes,

"Can't say… I honestly have no idea, but…" she paused and looked at her little sister.

"You could always stay here," suggested Phoebe,

"No I can't honey," she said, "Too much has happened… to much blood has been spilt and too many trusts have been broken. I can't stay here," she said sniffling, barely holding back her tears.

"This will always be your home, you know that right?" said Phoebe,

"Yeah… but its your home now, and" she said as she paused and went into her bag, she pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Phoebe, "Its your club…" she hugged her sister once more then turned to go back into the car.

"I can't take this," said Phoebe, "This is your club… I can't accept it,"

"It's yours… take it, but just do us one favour," said Piper as she walked round to the drivers side and got in. Phoebe stood at the passenger window while Piper fastened herself in and then looked up at her sister,

"Change the name… P3, the Charmed Ones… it's all finished. The power of three doesn't exist anymore,"

Phoebe jolted back into reality, brushing her hands through her hair she walked down the stairs to find Piper standing in the kitchen over a pot, it was a much missed sight yet it still seemed so familiar to Phoebe,

"You re-arranged the kitchen," sighed Piper, gradually stirring the pot with a wooden spoon,

"Yeah, a few years ago… it was a gradual thing… I just started putting things away in different places, you can move them back if you want," she replied,

"No, its fine. This kitchen isn't mine anymore… its yours now," replied Piper, staring down into her pot of red, tomato and herb soup,

"This kitchen will always be yours," replied Phoebe smiling, hoping that a remark like that would somehow break the ice – or ice berg – that had formed between the once so close sisters,

"No its not," replied Piper, putting the spoon down and walking over to the table, sitting at it fidgeting with a pen and paper, doodling little pictures.

"So I guess we're done with pleasantries," said Phoebe, deciding to give up on trying to make amends with her sister,

"Which parts were pleasant," sighed Piper,

"Piper, just tell me why you're here," said Phoebe, crossing her arms and pulling away from Piper mentally,

"I told you… there is something really dark somewhere and I know we're better off together than apart," sighed Piper, "I thought you'd want to know about whatever it is that's coming so you could…"

"Could what?" demanded Phoebe, "So I could fight it and save the day all over again? I'm sorry Piper, my demon fighting days are long gone, I don't battle demons and warlocks on a daily basis anymore. I have what we've always wanted a demon free life, and I'm happy with it. I have Jason and the club and I still write for the newspaper, and things are going great for me." At the moment the front door burst open and a high pitched squeal raged through the house, a small toddler came running through the manor and jumped at Phoebe when she entered the kitchen, "I also have a daughter."

A/N: I hope everyone likes the sequel to Inner Demons. Also please check out my parody, I think it's quite good… very strange and its written by two different people which is why the writing style changes but still check it out. Please R&R. Witch


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